Doctor Sleep (2019 film)
| screenplay = Mike Flanagan | based on = | starring = }} | music = The Newton Brothers | cinematography = Michael Fimognari | editing = Mike Flanagan | production companies = | distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures | released = | runtime = 153 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = | gross = }} 'Doctor Sleep' is a 2019 American psychological horror film based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Stephen King, which is a sequel to King's 1977 novel ''The Shining. The film, set several decades after the events of The Shining, combines elements of the 1977 novel and its 1980 film adaptation of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick. Doctor Sleep is written, directed, and edited by Mike Flanagan. It stars Ewan McGregor as Dan Torrance, a man with psychic abilities who struggles with childhood trauma. The film also stars Rebecca Ferguson and Kyliegh Curran in her feature film debut. Carl Lumbly, Zahn McClarnon, Emily Alyn Lind, Bruce Greenwood, Jocelin Donahue, Alex Essoe, and Cliff Curtis also feature in supporting roles. The character Danny Torrance first appeared in King's novel and Kubrick's adaptation as a child with psychic abilities called "the shining". The novel Doctor Sleep and its film adaptation feature Dan Torrance as an adult. Flanagan said that the film Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of King's novel but that it would also exist "in the same cinematic universe" as Kubrick's The Shining, thus making the film not only an adaptation of a sequel, but a sequel in and of itself. The director said he made an effort to reconcile the differences between The Shining novel and film. Warner Bros. Pictures began developing a film adaptation shortly after Doctor Sleep was published in 2013. Writer-producer Akiva Goldsman wrote a script, but the studio did not secure a budget for the film until the box-office success of its 2017 horror film It, also based on a novel by King. Flanagan was hired to rewrite Goldsman's script and direct the film. Filming began in September 2018 in the state of Georgia, including Atlanta and the surrounding area, and concluded in December 2018. The film will be released in several European countries on October 31, 2019 prior to in the United States on November 8, 2019. Synopsis }} Cast * Ewan McGregor as Dan "Danny" Torrance, a man with psychic powers known as "the shining". The character first appeared as a child in the film The Shining, played by Danny Lloyd. Roger Dale Floyd plays Danny as a child in flashback scenes. * Rebecca Ferguson as Rose the Hat, head of the True Knot, a cult that feeds on children with psychic powers * Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone, a girl with "the shining". |group="nb"}} * Carl Lumbly as Dick Hallorann, the former cook from the Overlook Hotel who has "the shining". Dick was originally played by Scatman Crothers in The Shining. * Zahn McClarnon as Crow Daddy, Rose the Hat's right-hand man * Emily Alyn Lind as Snakebite Andi, a member of the True Knot * Bruce Greenwood as Dr. John, the Stone family's doctor. * Jocelin Donahue as Lucy Stone, Abra's mother * Alex Essoe as Wendy Torrance, Danny's mother. Wendy was originally played by Shelley Duvall in The Shining. * Cliff Curtis as Billy Freeman * Zackary Momoh as Dave Stone, Abra's father. * Jacob Tremblay as Bradley Trevor * Violet McGraw as Violet * Henry Thomas (uncredited) as Jack Torrance, Danny's father. Jack was originally played by Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Additionally, Carel Struycken portrays Grandpa Flick, Robert Longstreet plays Barry, Catherine Parker and Selena Anduze portray the True Knot members Silent Sarey and Apron Annie, and Chelsea Talmadge portrays Deenie, Dan's ex-girlfriend. Sadie and Kk Heim portray the Grady Twins, with Kaitlyn McCormick and Molly Jackson provide their voices. The characters were portrayed by Lisa and Louise Burns in The Shining. Connections to The Shining novel and film Doctor Sleep is based on the 2013 horror novel of the same name by Stephen King. The novel is a sequel to King's 1977 novel The Shining. The 1977 novel was adapted into a 1980 horror film of the same name by director Stanley Kubrick. King is notably critical of Kubrick's film adaptation and its differences to his original novel. After its release, King wrote and executive-produced a new adaptation with the 1997 television miniseries. While the film Doctor Sleep is intended to be a direct adaptation of the 2013 sequel novel, director Mike Flanagan said Doctor Sleep would still "acknowledge Kubrick's The Shining in some way". Flanagan said, }} He explained working with all the sources, }} He first visited the novel then had a conversation with King to work out adapting both sources. As part of the process, Flanagan recreated scenes from The Shining to use in flashbacks. Production Development Warner Bros. Pictures began developing a film adaptation of Doctor Sleep as early as 2014. In 2016, writer-producer Akiva Goldsman announced that he would write and produce the film for Warner Bros. For several years, Warner Bros. could not secure a budget for Doctor Sleep or for a prequel to The Shining to be called Overlook Hotel. In late 2017, Warner Bros. released It, a film adaptation of King's 1986 novel of the same name, and its box-office success led the studio to fast-track production of Doctor Sleep. Warner Bros. hired Mike Flanagan in January 2018 to rewrite Goldsman's script and to direct the film. Flanagan said why he was interested in directing Doctor Sleep, }} Casting From June to November 2018, the cast was assembled. Filming Filming began in September 2018 in the US state of Georgia; locations included Atlanta and St. Simons. * In the area of Atlanta, specific locations included Covington, Canton, Stone Mountain, Midtown, Porterdale, and Fayetteville. Production concluded in December 2018. By January 2019, Flanagan was editing the film. Music The film score will be composed by The Newton Brothers (Andy Grush and Taylor Stewart), who also composed scores for Flanagan's previous works. Themes Author Stephen King said he wrote Doctor Sleep since he wondered what Danny Torrance would be like if he grew up. Flanagan said in the film, "Danny is so traumatized by what he's been through, he has no idea how to deal with this." McGregor said, "Dan Torrance's philosophy early on in the story is not to use the shining. He's drunk to suppress the horrible visitations, the spirits that are from the Overlook Hotel." * Release Doctor Sleep is scheduled to be released in several international territories on October 31, 2019 and in the United States and Canada on November 8, 2019. It was initially scheduled to be released on January 24, 2020. Deadline Hollywood said the re-scheduling reflected Warner Bros. giving "a major vote of confidence" to the film. Reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 78% based on 41 reviews with an average rating of 7.04/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Doctor Sleep forsakes the elemental terror of its predecessor for a more contemplative sequel that balances poignant themes against spine-tingling chills." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". See also * List of adaptations of works by Stephen King Notes References External links * * Category:2019 films Category:2019 horror films Category:American supernatural horror films Category:Films about alcoholism Category:Films about cults Category:Films about psychic powers Category:Films based on American horror novels Category:Films based on works by Stephen King Category:Films directed by Mike Flanagan Category:Films shot in Atlanta Category:Films shot in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:American sequel films Category:The Shining (franchise) Category:Upcoming sequel films Category:2010s supernatural horror films Category:Film scores by The Newton Brothers